


When People Are Sad (We Make Them Tea)

by petroltogo



Series: WinterIronFrost [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Cuddles, Except sometimes Tony, Fluff, How To Be Human: The Rule Book, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Gets a Hug, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Nobody is an adult in this relationship, Polyamory, Technically the relationship isn't fully defined yet, The Winter Soldier isn't a separate personality this time, Tony gets a hug, bucky gets a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 20:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11905806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petroltogo/pseuds/petroltogo
Summary: “Loki is acting out of order."In which Loki is sad, no clowns are kidnapped, Bucky tries to help, tea fixes everything, and Tony really is the best cuddler.





	When People Are Sad (We Make Them Tea)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a request by @agenderraskel on tumblr. And because the pairing is lovely.

Tony isn't tired. Fine, maybe he is a little tired. Maybe. Just a little.

Tired enough to remain obvious to FRIDAY's announcement of his visitor at least. Tired enough to let out a startled “Eeeeep!” when the soldering iron is suddenly taken from his hands, set down carefully, before he’s lifted in a strong grip. Tony flails, would have called for the suit already if not for how intimately familiar the hands holding him have become.

That one of them is made of metal is a helpful clue as well.

“Buuucky!“ Tony whines, squirms in an attempt to reach for his poor, neglected soldering iron, but the grip doesn’t let up one bit. Instead his body is manoeuvred into a more comfortable position and then he is carried away from his workstation.

It takes Tony’s brain a full two seconds to process this, which is a warning sign all on its own. But that’s besides the point.

“Bucky!” Tony calls out again, sharper this time. “Let me down! I’m not a child! I don’t need you to drag me out of my workshop, I’m perfectly capable–”

Bucky doesn’t slow down. Doesn’t even acknowledge Tony’s rant until they’re in the elevator and the door is closing behind them with a soft, wooshing sound. Tony likes that sound. He’s had it installed into every door possible (and even a few empty doorways) just so he gets to listen to it every day.

He doesn’t like it very much right now.

“What the fuck, Bucky?!”

Tony is past annoyed and gone straight to fucking furious. He doesn’t need anyone to babysit-kidnap him! Contrary to popular belief he is perfectly capable of surviving on his own when his own body isn't poisoning him and people don't shoot him with his own missiles, he's a grown man for fuck's sake, and really, Bucky should know better! What the ever loving fuck—

“Loki is acting out of order,” Bucky finally says, voice devoid of any inflection.

Yeah. _Sure_. Tony scowls, even as he feels something suspiciously similar to worry tightening in his gut. Like he is gonna fall for that I-was-brainwashed-by-HYDRA-now-I-can’t-talk-and-explain-my-actions-like-a-normal-person bullshit. Tony happens to know that Bucky can talk just fine. 

It’s a struggle to find the right words sometimes, sure. But just last week, when the room caved into itself around Tony, Bucky was there by his side, talking about the pros and cons of Stelena vs Delena for half an hour, just to distract him.

(Which worked fine, in case anyone is wondering. Bucky dared to suggest Stelena would be a decent option and Tony just couldn’t let that stand.)

“And what does that have to do with you kidnapping me from my workstation?” Tony snaps impatiently. Or exhausted. At this point, it’s hard to tell the difference.

A small frown curls around Bucky’s upper lip, but otherwise he remains unmoved, much to Tony’s frustration. 

“You’re the best cuddler,” is all Bucky has to say in his defence, like that is a reasonable explanation. Tony hates that he can already feel his (justified) annoyance crumbling.

Then the elevator stops, prompting Bucky to carry him towards the common living room. And—okay. As soon as Tony catches sight of Loki, he gets why Bucky interrupted his precious workshop time.

Loki is sitting hunched over on the couch, green eyes dark with something that isn’t quite sorrow, a frown etched into his face that remind Tony of the day the demigod tried to brainwash him with a glow stick. Good times.

Before Tony has time to fully catalogue the other signs of Loki’s distress, Bucky drops him in Loki’s lap. Literally drops him. 

Tony groans because that  _hurt_ , alright, it’s not like Loki is made of pillows and plush. Loki on the other hand seems to barely notice the sudden weight, save a quiet huff of breath. There’s no mocking, no insults, just hands clinging to Tony’s waist like it's the edge of a cliff, and that’s how Tony knows how bad this is.

Whatever it is.

He shifts—to find a comfortable position as well as ease the dull ache in his bottom from his less than comfortable landing—curls one arm around Loki’s neck, the other one around his back. The position allows him to rest his chin on Loki’s shoulder and glare at Bucky’s blank face while simultaneously rubbing slow circles across Loki’s back.

How come Tony, who is the least mature person he has ever met, has to be the functional adult in this—whatever it is that they have?

After a long moment of glaring, Bucky finally cracks, begins to fidget restlessly. It’s better than the creepy motionlessness he's shown until now though. He still slips into that mask too often for Tony’s comfort.

“I don’t–” Bucky gestures helplessly, a wounded look in his eyes that conveys how much he’s struggling with the situation just fine.

“Loki is sad, Bucky,” Tony says in the calmest voice he can manage, never once breaking his (hopefully) soothing ministrations. Breaks the emotional mess down into simple words, to help Bucky regain his footing. The last thing he needs is Bucky to lash out again because _being_ , _feeling_ , _thinking_ becomes too much. Simple protocols are easier to process for him still, sometimes.

“What do we do when people are said?”

“Make them tea,” Bucky repeats automatically, the rules all but drilled into his head at this point. He promptly turns towards the kitchen to do exactly that.

Really, whoever thought Tony would be the right person to help a brainwashed prisoner of war to become a human being again should be shot. Or at the very least subjected to Bucky’s When-People-Are-Happy-We-Bake-Them-Something-Sweet cakes. Baking is still on the To Be Improved list, and for good reason.

“You alright, Mr Evil Overlord?” Tony murmurs into Loki's surprisingly soft hair once he’s certain Bucky doesn’t try to go off and kidnap a clown to lift the mood. Again.

Loki huffs a laugh under his breath but stays otherwise quiet, which is so unlike him that Tony feels that twinge of genuine worry spreading upwards and curling into a tight, heavy knot somewhere in his chest. Which sucks. Tony doesn’t approve of genuine emotions at all.

“I am unharmed,” Loki murmurs after another moment, his grip on Tony tightening momentarily before easing into what an uninformed bystander might call ‘affectionate’.

Tony doesn’t know what he’s supposed to call it. He buries his face in Loki’s chest instead.

He waits for Loki to continue, but he doesn’t say anything. Tony finds himself listening to the sounds of Bucky moving around in the kitchen, the steady beat of Loki’s heart, their breathing instead. It’s…

Nice.

Then Bucky joins them with three steaming mugs of tea in his hands. Tony wrinkles his nose, eyes the cups suspiciously. Everyone knows he prefers coffee.

Honestly, he’d suspect the two troublemakers he's somehow accidentally adopted were just trying to lure him out of his workshop, if not for how upset Bucky looked when he stormed the workshop. As much as Loki likes to mess with them, he’d never take it so far. Not over something as silly as cuddling.

“You’re not gonna talk about it, are you?” Tony mumbles around a careful sip of tea—though Bucky knows better by now than to hand him anything hot enough to burn his tongue.

Loki blinks, the picture of clueless innocence. He arches an eyebrow at Tony and really, how the demigod can hold a cup of tea that regally while Tony is stretched out over his lap is a mystery.

“I have no idea what you are referring to, Anthony,” Loki says with a masterfully inserted edge of curiosity that makes the lie all the more believable. As though he hadn’t sunken back into that strange state of utter stillness mere moments before, so similar to Bucky’s own behaviour when the world is too bright and the freedom too overwhelming, that never fails to freak Bucky and Tony out. 

“Of course you don’t.” Tony makes no effort to hide his eye-roll. “Now come on, Winter Boy, cuddle me!” he demands when Bucky doesn’t join them, remains standing instead. Watching. “I'm an attention hog, I need at least two cuddle buddies at all times!”

Sometimes the physical closeness is too much for Bucky. Sometimes he’s just insecure, unsure whether he is wanted. Tony can never tell what it is, so as always he pushes and waits to be told to back off. 

It doesn’t happen this time.

Instead Bucky carefully places his tea on the small coffee table and sits down next to Loki, so close that their shoulders are brushing against each other. Pulls Tony’s feet into his lap until he lies sprawled across them (thankfully Loki’s quick reflexes save Tony’s cup of tea).

Then Loki’s slender fingers sneak into Tony’s hair, skilfully card through the curls—that reminds him, he needs a hair cut—and massage the skin beneath. Tony can feel himself melting into the gentle touches, turns until his face is buried in Loki’s stomach, Bucky’s hand resting on his hip, anchoring him. And with a sigh of pure bliss Tony closes his eyes and relaxes. Lets go of a tension he hadn’t even realised he has been holding in him.

Sleep comes easily after that. It always does, with Loki and Bucky close to him. Steady and dangerous and maddeningly complicated and  _safe_.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think in the comment section!!!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: [tonystarktogo](http://tonystarktogo.tumblr.com/).
> 
> [Stelena/Delena is a Vampire Diaries reference I won’t apologise for. It was the first show that came to mind *shrug* I don’t mind either pairing by the way, so in case anyone has strong opinions, I’m not trying to bash Stelena. Bucky just needed to distract Tony for a while.]


End file.
